OUTSIDERS: Q&A Panel and First Footage of Season Two [WGN, NYCC 2016]

Outsiders Panel Shows Fans First Look at Season Two

The Farell Clan made their first appearance at New York Comic Con as fans were given a sneak peak into season two of Outsiders. Creator Peter Mattei and EP Peter Tolan joined series stars David Morse, Ryan Hurst, Gillian Alexy, Kyle Gallner, and Christina Jackson to talk about the anticipated second season. After the big clash that happened last season with the Farrell Clan and the citizens of Blackburg, we can expect some big changes in the new season when the series returns to WGN America on January 2017.

The panel went into high gear by giving the audience a quick recap of the first season along with their first look into season two. After the video, Peter Mattei addressed that David Morse, who plays clan leader Big Foster, was initially suppose to be on for one season, but ended up getting contracted for three more years. So we can expect Big Foster to stay on the show past its second season, which should please fans. With the eldest son Lil Foster in prison, Ryan Hurst said that his character will start off in prison during the beginning of the season. With no one left to lead, the task is left to Gillian’s character G’Win as she explained that she now has a big task ahead of her to move the clan forward.

One of the most popular aspects of the show by the fans is the biracial relationship between clan member Hasil and Sally-Ann. Gallner and Jackson talked about their relationship on the show and the positive response they received from fans. Jackson later on addressed that their forbidden relationship wasn’t because of race but because of their background with Hasil born to the clan while Sally-Ann isn’t. It’s one of the aspects of the show that Jackson said she truly enjoyed being a part of. Gallner also spoke briefly about the fight club scenes he got to be in and the training he took to be in shape.

With the new season, Hurst told fans at the convention to expect it to be much more intense action than the first. Morse added that the season will start to get big and messy for the Farrells. When the season gets bigger, Mattei hopes that the series will be able to bring more people from other clans. Ryan touched on how organic it felt to see the clan grow on the series. He and cast felt inspired by the storylines given to them.

When it came to the research, Peter Matei and Peter Tolan said that they had to treat these characters as if they weren’t normal people and wanted to abide by the traditions of the mountain men. The creators of the show also got to speak up on the superstitions of the show regarding the mountain possibly having some magic to protect them. Matei said he had the idea of having the mountain be part of the story through the Cherokee tribe, who named it the ‘Blood Mountain’ and describing it as dangerous. Ryan also added that having the supernatural aspect is what makes ithe show interesting and likes that some things from the clan can’t be explained.

The next topic that the cast talked about was the tattoos and their meaning in the show. Gillian spoke about the artists behind the provocative tattoos shown on Outsiders. David added that he enjoyed the story behind each of the tattoos. Ryan said he wanted to put a tattoo on his face one time but the network wouldn’t allow it. Despite not being part of the clan, Gillian jokingly wanted Christina to get a tattoo of her own.

During the Q&A portion, the creators got to talk about the inspiration behind the Farrell Clan. Matei said he was able to draw from other tribes across the country, especially the Adirondack Mountain tribe in New Jersey. Tolan told an audience member that there was a lot of history within the clan that he hopes to explore in the series. Tolan also added that the clan’s habitat has become a testament of nature and becomes a bigger part of the story. Asked about whether race was addressed in the relationship between Hasil and Sally-Ann, Christina said that race was never a part of them not able to be together. According to Christina, it was more about not being a Farrell than anything else.

About the author

Mufsin Mahbub

**Fired from FilmBook for Plagiarism**
Mufsin is a freelance writer from New York who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at Long Island University. He has written for publications like HollywoodLife, Clubplanet, and Heavy. He is an avid lover for everything related to TV and film. He has gone to dozens of film screenings, press events, and loves to attend New York Comic Con every year. He gives an honest opinion on every TV show or film that people are going to be talking about.